Holdens Decapod

One railway always renowned for its enterprising experiments in locomotive development was the Great Eastern in Britain; during the regime at Stratford of James Holden, the G.E.R. Chief Mechanical Engineer, a large number of successful designs were produced, many of which came into British Railways ownership under nationalization.

The one locomotive for which Holden is best remembered, however, was built solely to challenge the proposed electrification of the heavy G.E. suburban traffic out of Liverpool Street (London train station).

At the beginning of the 20th century it had been suggested that only electric traction could produce the very rapid acceleration needed to maintain a reasonable average speed between the frequent station stops, but Holden determined that even with steam a speed of 30 m.p.h. could be reached within 30 seconds of starting.

To achieve this, the first and only 0-10-0 tank engine ever to run in Britian appeared from Stratford Works at the end of 1902. With three 18 in x 24 in cylinders and 4 ft 6in wheels, No. 20 was at the time the most powerful locomotive in the world, and with her immense boiler would still have looked modern fifty years later.

The ' Decapod,' as No. 20 became known, was successful in proving Holden's theory, but the trackwork and bridges of the period were not built to withstand the strains set up by such a locomotive in regular service, and in 1906 she was rebuilt as a 2-cylinder 0-8-0 for freight work.

Even as rebuilt, No. 20 was years ahead of her time and was never duplicated.

She was scrapped in 1913 and now the lines over which she almost revolutionized suburban rail traffic have all been electrified.